Of Scars, Friendship and Alchemy REDONE
by Mitsukia-No-Hane
Summary: Edward and Alphonse have gotten wind of another lead to the where abouts of the Stone. But will this one prove to be true? And will a certian alchemist killer have any effect on their search? ON PERMANENT HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, but i do own Andre, and the two towns mentioned in this chapter.

Okay people, upon reviewing this after i submitted this, i discovered i made some mistakes when posting it. So, now that i've corrected him, heres the new, re-posted version of the chapter. Gomen to all you people that read the other one! I'll try to make sure i won't happen again!

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They had been walking for... well he didn't know how long it had been, following the train tracks west. All he knew, and could think about, was that his legs hurt from treading on hard, rocky ground for so long and that he was hot. It had to be at _the bare minimum_ of 5,000 degrees outside at that moment, by his estimations at least.

The scenery itself was... sparse. Very very sparse. Almost no type of vegetation grew, and the only thing that was prominent in the flat landscape where the snow-capped mountains that were east of them, off in the distance. The ground beneath their feet was hard packed and dry, making it a not to comfortable walking surface. In short, the scenery was nothing to look at.

" Hey, Al, do you know what time it is?" he asked his younger brother, his voice dragged down by exhaustion.

The boy in the large suite of armor shrugged as he walked beside him, the sound of his metal shifting filled the air around him as he walked. The tassel attached to his helmet swung as he went, his strides huge with his 6'8 height. His red and white eyes that glowed from the eyes of the suite looked down at his brother, way down, to look at his tired and heat exhausted ( though he was pretty sure his brother was exaggerating just a little) form.

" I'm not sure Nii-san, but it has to be past noon." Alphonse said, looking up at the sun as he used it as a make shift clock.

The younger boy sighed heavily at this news. It was past noon already, and he had wanted to get to the next town by at least 2, which was an impossibility now it seemed. By his estimation they had over 20 miles of walking left. The heat around him was of course increased by his metal limbs as they sucked up the heat of the sun that beat down on them, super heating them, and in turn, him. His discomfort was worsened by the heavy suitcase he held in his right hand, his arm hurting slightly from its weight pulling down on his limb.

" Well looks like we won't be getting to the station to Arioan any time soon." Ed said, sighing, referring to the town they were heading to.

From what the rumors had said Arioan was a fairly small but prosperous town, with a population of just over 100. But, before they could get there, they needed to pass through another town and take its train there, since it was over 100 miles away, a distance that Edward, even on his best day, was not about to venture.The boys had heared rumors of the Philosopher's Stone being there, but from many past experiences they were careful not to get their hopes up since, most of the time, these rumors ended up as just that, rumors, and the brothers came up empty handed. But, unfortunately, they had to check out ever lead they got wind of, it was all they could do.

" You think the rumors are true this time Nii-san?" Alphonse asked after a moment or silence, save for the sounds of their shuffling feet.

" Well, who knows. But you know what they say ' Leave no stone un turned'." replied Ed, repeating the phrase he'd heard many times from various people, as he ran a white gloved hand through his thick blonde bangs.

" I know Nii-san, but couldn't we be more choosy?" Alphonse suggested, hopeful for a 'Yes' answer from the small form of his brother.

" I know Al, I know its tiring, but we have to do it if we're going to find the Stone, right?" Ed asked, looking up at Al, smiling reassuringly at the armor trapped boy, who nodded but sighed.

Both boys were eager to get their bodies back, that was clear, but Alphonse just wished they didn't have to go on so many wild goose chases and come up empty handed. It was a routine that was getting old, fast.

" Right." Al replied and was about to say something else when Ed stopped suddenly and looked back. Alphonse, noticing the absence of the sound of his brothers shuffeilingsteps, turned and said" What's wrong Nii-san?"

His brother didn't reply, or make any move to, and just kept staring, so Alphonse went back and gently shook his brothers shoulder, to snap him out of his sudden trance like state.

" Huh? Oh, its nothing Al. Guess I just spaced out for a second." Edward said when he finally did respond after a few moments to his brothers shakes.

' That was weird...' Edward thought as the two continued in their previous direction ' It felt like... someone was calling to me, but who was it?'

" Finally, salvation at last!" Edward cried jubilantly as the town they had been heading for, Zenon it was named as he recalled, came into his view.It was there pit stop town of sorts on the way to theirfinal destination.However, it was 5 o'clock, and the boys had missed their train that had been scheduled to leave an hour and a half before the boys arrived.

" I guess we'll have to stay in a hotel or something for the night?" Alphonse guessed, since the sun was now setting and the sky darkening above them.

" Yeah, and it'll have to be a cheap one, were almost out of cash." Edward said, taking out his change purse and opening it, roughly estimating the amount inside. " Well, no problem, we'll just stay at the local inn and grab a meal there. It'll save us some money."

The boy put the change purse back into the pocket of his red jacket, picked up his suitcase and started towards the town.

Edward opened the door to the tavern and was met with the usual sight. The tavern was packed with locals, and some out-of-towners, by the looks of them compared to the rest, all sitting either at the bar or around one of the 8 small, round tables stationed in various spots around the room. Music played from the old radio set on a shelf behind the bar, seated in between bottles of whiskey and beer, though that sound was nearly drowned out by the roaring conversations and laughter of the men.

" How much is a room here?" Edward asked the barkeep, a tall man with brown hair that was swept into a small pony tail at the back of his head, whom was currently cleaning out the inside of a beer mug with a dirty white rag, which he slung over his shoulder when Edward approached.

" $300 a night for one room, though most have more then one bed, and that includes meals." he answered, glancing at Alphonse, who stood behind his younger brother, seeming nervous at all the looks he was getting.

" Cheap. Alright, gimme a room." Ed commented.

" Yeah, but it gets us by well enough. You're rooms upstairs, third to your left, number 9. Heres the key. Oh and by the way, the names Andre." he said, handing Edward a small, gold key with the number ' 9' ingraved on it.

" And I'm Edward, and this is my younger brother, Alphonse" Ed said, poiniting a thumb twoards the said suite of armor.

" Nice to meet you sir." Alphonse said politly.

" Younger brother? But you're so much smaller then him, shouldn't it be reversed?" Andre noticed, which every other person on this earth seemed to noticed about the two traveling comparnions when they stood side by side.

As always, Edward has his usual reaction, kicking and yelling and all. And, also as always, Alphonse managed to hold him back, for fear that he would hurt someone, or himself, in his rage.

" Woah! Sorry, I didn't mean it in an insulting way!" Andre said, holding his hands up in a ' please calm down' gesture.

" Yeah, whatever." Edward muttered, straightening his red jacket when his brother finally put him down, obviously annoyed with the insident.

" Thank you sir," Alphonse said, taking the key from Andre " We'll be heading up to our room now."

" Yeah, you two feel free to come down and get somthing later" he said, going back to his glass cleaning dutys.

" We will!" the brothers said in unision, heading up the small flight of wooden stairs that headed twoards the inn part of the establishment.

Once there, Edward promptly stuck the key into the lock and turned, a click answering the key and the door opening.

The room was relativly small, with two beds, one's right side touching the right wall of the room and the others left touching the left. Beside each sat a small night tabel/ cubort with a lamp on the top. On the back wall of the room there was a dresser with a mirror above it. A fan, swirling slowly round and round, toped the room off.

" Nice." Edward muttered as he plopped his suitecase down on the left side bed and began unpacking.

" Yeah, and for a good price too. We were really fortunate." Alphonse said, sitting down on the other bed.

" Mmm-hmm." Edward said, nodding, but not turning to his younger brother as he continued unpacking his suitecase.

' But what was that voice? And, did I even feel anything in the first place, or did I just imagin it?' Edward asked himself, his thoughts wandering back to earlyer that day, resolving to find out the answer to his questions.

And we all know that when Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist, sets his mind to somthing, he always finds his answer, no matter what.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA

Okay people, sorry i haven't updated in a while, but i had writers block! But, its finally here so R/R! Oh and a special thanks to Mugen No Ankoku for the idea for what the voice says!

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" Well, we're here." Edward said, looking up at the immense dark opening in the cliff side in front of him.

" Well, according to Andres directions this is a shortcut to Arioan." Alphonse said, recalling the bartender's words to them.

' Yeah, those caves up there are the quickest route to Arioan. Just go straight through and you'll be there in no time. Save you boys about 4 hours I'd say.' he'd said, and the prospect of saving 4 hours and using that time to sleep was a deal Edward could not pass up.

" Lets get going then, I want to make it out at least before 2." Edward said, striding forward into the cave, Alphonse trailing behind with a torch he'd gotten off the wall.

However, the boys had conveniently forgotten to read the sign posted at the entrance. It was just a normal everyday sign, stuck into the ground and almost half fallen over really, so you couldn't blame them for missing it, but its message was important. It read;

' DO NOT ENTER! DANGER! TURN BACK NOW!'

It seemed the Elrics famous streak of bad luck had struck again, and was about to strike twice.

A little while later, Alphonse being thoroughly frightened by now and Edward holding the torch, the two stopped and turned their heads to the left.

" D-did you hear that Nii-san?" Alphonse said, stuttering out of fear of the prospect of the sudden appearance of ghosts or ghouls or zombies or anything else of the sort.

" Yeah... it's probably the wind or something." Edward concluded, waving the subject away and continued walking.

But, suddenly, a pair of yellow eyes appeared in the shadows of the corner.

Alphonse gave a whine of fear and said " Nii-san! That is _defiantly_ not the wind!"

Ed turned, to see a huge form lunging at him, foot long teeth bared and claws unsheathed. Out of reflex, Edward held up his left arm, which the creature bit down on, instead of some other flesh and blood part of his body. But, with a cold metal foot to the face from Edward, it was sent flying, smashing into a wall and landing in a huge heap on the ground.

But this creature, upon further inspection by the two, was discovered to be a chimera. With the head and front feet of a wolf, eyes of a cat, back feet of a tiger and body of a lion, it was nothing to be messed with.

" It's a chimera..." Alphonse observed as the torches golden light fell over the unconscious beast.

" Yeah, and that means someone in here is making them." Edward said, his eyes narrowing at the memory of a certain man with such an occupation.

" I wonder who it could be. I mean, could someone actually live down here, let alone create anything like this?" Alphonse asked, as his brother began to walk further into the cave, with no acknowledgment that he has heard his brother's words.

But suddenly, Edwards's vision blurred in front of his eyes. A dizzy feeling washed over him as the room spun and swam in front of his eyes. He could no longer tell up from down, left from right or either he was standing or sitting. But he did know one thing; this was not good.

The last thing he heard was a voice, a woman's voice, whispering something to him;

' Watch for those who dwell in darkness. Unknown are their powers, hunters of those who stray.'

Slowly, his scenes came back. First was his scene of smell, which made him aware of the damp smell of the...cave? Oh yes, he remembered, he had fainted in a cave. The second thing he smelled was oil, of Al's armor. He had cleaned it recently and the oily smell still hung to the metal. Then all of his scenes came back easily, and he slowly opened his eyes to see Alphonse above him.

" Nii-san, are you alright?" Alphonse asked, worry heavy in his voice.

It took a second for Edward to answer as he sat up and shook his head to clear the fog that had gathered in his mind.

" Yeah, I'm fine. What happened?" he asked, since, at that moment, he didn't remember.

" I don't know. I mean, you were walking away after the chimera attacked us and then you just fainted. Maybe it managed to hurt you before you hit it?" Alphonse said, forming a hypothesis about the strange event as he began to check his brother over for injuries. But Edward was to busy thinking to notice.

' What in the world was that? And what did that voice mean?' Edward thought, his chin in his hand in concentration.

" Nii-san? We should get moving to the next town, so you can get checked over by a doctor. Just to make sure." Alphonse said, as he stood, snapping Edward out of his thoughts.

Edward nodded, fixed his jacket back into place and stood. He followed Alphonse, though not really paying attention to where he was going since he was still going over the questions he had in his head, trying to come up with reasonable answers for them.

The boys reached the other side of the cave without further incident. It was dusk then, the air still and humid, the crickets chirping back and forth to each other in the bushes and grass. The scenery was much different from the other side, that having been covered in sand and heard ground and this in grass. There was a small dirt trail leading from the mouth up a hill, with woods on both sides. The sky was hues of pinks and oranges, the sun setting on the horizon and a few stars peaking out from behind the clouds.

" Well, we definitely missed our deadline, again. I think it was all those wrong turns that got us." Edward speculated, stretching and taking a deep breath of clean air, relieved to be out of the darkness of the cave.

" Yeah, we'll just have to camp out tonight, its another good 2 hours until we reach the next town." Alphonse informed Ed, his brother nodding.

A few hours later the boys had their tent pitched and a fire going, Alphonse cooking dinner over the fire. Edward sat in the doorway of the tent, his legs on the grass as he sat on the sleeping bag inside.

" Hey, Al" Edward began, as his brother looked up from the food at the sound of his name, " I just realized something. That this spot is only about 10 miles from Lab 5. So that chimera could be…."

" Yeah, maybe."

And the subject was left at that.

Later that night, as Edward lay in his sleeping bag, staring up and the ceiling of the tent, he thought about the day.

' There's so many things I don't know. The first voice yesterday, me fainting, and now this riddle. What does it all mean? And what is it leading us to? It looks like the questions only lead to more questions. I wonder if we'll find the answers.'

With those thoughts in mind, Edward closed his eyes and fell asleep.

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He sat at his desk, drumming his fingers on it impatiently. He had sent for her 2 days ago, so why wasn't she here yet!

" I she here?" he asked, for about the 5th time that day.

" Y-yes sir!" his assistant stuttered, having expected to say 'no' to his question, snapping to attention and saluting immediately at the sound of the mans voice.

" Good, send her in." he said, a triumphant smirk on his face.

The door to the office opened and a girl, appearing about 20, walked in. Her skin was tan and her eyes were red, all signs of her being an Ishbalan. Her clothes were simple, a tan skirt, ripped and tattered at the hem, and an old brown t-shirt under a long, cream white color hooded cloak. Her long, brown hair lay across her chest, her bangs peaking out of the hood.

" You will be much help to us. I am glad you could come." The man said, the smirk that had formed on his lips widening as he laced his fingers together.

But she didn't speak, and just stared at the floor in front of her. She would not help these people, she had decided. What they were doing, was sin. But, she could do nothing to stop it.

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Oh, lots of mysterys! And, none of them will be solved in the next chapter, but more questions will pop up. To insure that you people will tune in next time i have deised to give you a preview of the next chapter! Aren't i nice?

In the Next Chapter of ' Or Scars, Friendship and Alchemy':

Edward could do nothing but stare in shock at the man. It wasn't that he was anyone new or suprising to him, quit the opposite in fact. Edward and Alphonse had seen him a few times before, but those times the two had fought with eachother. But this time the man made no move to attack either of them. He just stared at them. Now, from what Edward knew about the man ( which was very little) he knew that somthing was up if he wasn't attacking him. But Ed did know one this, that this man was...

And that's all you're going to get! So, tune in next time to see who the guys is! If you have any guesses feel free to put them in you're reviews. Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA

Hey people, well here goes Chapter 3! You guys finally get to find out whom the person was! Read on and review!

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He sighed. He hated the rain. It was cold, wet and made his automail and Al's armor rust up. He was made even more miserable by the fact that he was in the middle of a rather heavy storm. His red hood protected his head from the rain, which had soaked through so it didn't help much. The rain had soaked through the rest of his clothes to; right down to the black tank top he wore. Edward Elric was not a happy camper.

They had packed up then tent and started off early that morning, about 6 AM. The weather had been just peachy then, sunny and bright. Then, around 1 it took a complete 180 spin, and the black ominous clouds rolled in. That was then the rain started. And that was 2 hours ago.

" Good news Nii-san! Its only about another hour until we hit Arioan!" Alphonse exclaimed, examining a now soaking wet map, proving that his statement was a lie, in hopes of cheering his brother up.

It didn't work.

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It seemed Edwards sour mood liked him too much to leave, as he trudged on, muddy and wet. The rain had decreased to a small trickle, though the sky hadn't brightened any.

" How long until we hit this stupid town already?" Edward asked, looking back at Alphonse.

" Umm… a few more minutes I think." Alphonse said, making a blind guess, in another fruitless attempt to improve upon his older brothers mood.

Edward nodded; satisfied with the answer he'd been given and switched his suitcase to his other hand, to give his left a rest. Suddenly he felt a pair of eyes on him and turned to his left, squinting as he struggled to see through the bushes. Then his eyes widened.

Edward could do nothing but stare in shock at the man when he saw whom it was. It wasn't that he was anyone new or surprising to him, quit the opposite in fact. Edward and Alphonse had seen him a few times before, but those times the two had fought with each other. But this time the man made no move to attack either of them. He just stared at them. Now, from what Edward knew about the man (which was very little) he knew that something was up if he wasn't attacking him. But Ed did know one thing, which was that that this man was _Scar_.

He was slightly hunched over, a tan cloak wrapped around him, the hood up. He sat under the trees, right where the woods met the road. His face was hidden under the hood, but his blood red eyes clearly stared at the brothers.

" Hello, Fullmetal." He said, then added, when Edward sunk into a ready-to-fight position " Don't worry. I'm not here to kill you."

Now _that_ surprised Edward.

" Scar-san!" Alphonse exclaimed, taking a step forward, that is until Edward held his arm out, halting his brother.

" What are you doing here Scar?" he asked, his voice venomous.

" That doesn't concern you State Alchemist." Scar said, his voice venomous, glaring darkly at Ed.

A shiver couldn't help but crawl its way up Edward's spine at the look, thought he masked it and quickly changed the subject.

" Then, why aren't you trying to kill us?" Edward asked.

" Because you are not the top priority anymore Fullmetal."

" Then who is, another State Alchemist?"

The glare reappeared on Scars face.

" That is no concern of yours." He said, and that topic of conversation was closed fro discussion.

" Fine, then we'll just leave you alone. Come on Al!" Edward said, sticking his nose high in the air and starting to briskly walk away.

" How can you still be so loyal to the military Fullmetal? I bet you don't even know what there doing." Scar said, and that called Edward back, or at least cause him to stop and turn.

" What do you mean?" Edward inquired, his voice demanding an answer.

Al also turned towards Scar, also interested in what he had to say.

" I mean that you have no idea the evil that the military, at this very second, is committing." Scar said, sticking to being vague.

Edward was about to inquire more on the subject when suddenly, out of the bushes across the pathway, out sprung a chimera, the very same one from the day before. It had a considerable wound on its face from Edwards kick, but it somehow had followed them. It lunged, claws and teeth drawn, towards Scar.

Scars eyes widened in surprise, and his raised his tattooed arm, which glowed the eerie red color. However, that was unneeded as Edward leapt in front of him, having transmuted his sword, and stabbing it in the chest. Its eyes widened as it fell, limp and lifeless, to the wet ground directly beside Scar.

" Why did you save me Fullmetal?" Scar asked, now standing, his arm still glowing.

" Equivalent Exchange. And besides, if you died and I didn't do anything Al would hate me forever." Edward answered, lowering his arm, and jerking his head towards Alphonse, who was clearly worried and had been ready to spring into action.

Scar didn't say anything, and promptly left, walking into the woods behind him. Ed sighed as Al worriedly rushed to him. He would have to speak to Colonel Mustang about what Scar had said.

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Speak of the devil; Edward got to do that a few hours later. The two brothers walked into Arioans local, and rather large inn. They dried themselves off with fresh towels provided by the innkeeper's wife, and attempted to pay for their food and board for the night.

" Oh no, that won't be necessary sir. Its all been taken care of. That man said you'd be coming and paid the expenses for you!" She exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the bar at the said man.

It was definitely Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, but at first Edward didn't recognize him. He was dressed completely as a civilian, in brown slacks, a white shirt and suspenders. He sat at the bar, a mug of beer infront of him, talking to a rather attractive woman. Apparently he was using the good old ' jack-of-all-trades' story to explain what he did.

" Oh my, that must be difficult, having to travel that much!" the woman said, obviously very impressed with Roy.

He flashed and award-winning smile then said, " No, I don't mind. I love to travel."

" Wow, Mustang-san is here. I wonder why." Alphonse pondered, then got a look of worry at the mischievous look on Edwards face.

" Hey Roy! Haven't seen you in ages! So, how are the wife and kids? Didn't Jimmy just turn 5?" Edward said, striding over and throwing an arm around Roy's shoulders, as if they were best friends that hadn't seen eachother in a long time.

Roy blinked once, twice, then his face filled with fury as Ed grinned. He looked back to the seat next to him, about to write Ed off as a drunken fool, but the woman was gone, a look of disgust on her face.

" What the hell are you doing here Fullmetal!" Roy barked thrusting Ed's arm off his shoulder as Al walked over, attempting to apologize.

" Well, heard about a rumor about the you-know-what leading to here. Also, I have to talk to you." Edward said, his face growing serious and Roy's growing confused then growing serious also.

A few hours later Ed's story was told and Roy sat still, his eyes closed in thought.

" I can't tell you that Fullmetal, I don't even know. But I know it's big, real big. I also hear there's an Ishbalan involved and I think they may be even trying to make a Stone. I think somehow it and the girl are connected to one another, but I'm not sure how." Roy said in a whisper.

Ed's eyes widened at the mention of the alchemic catalyst.

' So that's what Scar meant earlier!' Edward realized, the gears clearly working in his head to figure out what was going on in the military.

" I'll keep you as up to date as I can, but for now tell me about this rumor." Roy said, signaling for the bartender to get him another beer and Edward some coffee.

And so, the rest of the night was spent in serious discussions, before all three retired to their rooms much later into the night.

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Okay, so that's it! In substitution for ' The Voice' Scar got to appear! And he'll be popping up a lot in this so the Scar fans will be happy. No preview for the next chapter because I haven't planed it out yet. So click that little review button below you and review! I COMMAND YOU! 'Till next time, see yah!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Don't own crap except the old man in this.

Okay people, here's Chapter 4! Enjoy!

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The day had started relatively early for the three boys, much to Edward's dislike. It was only 9 AM, which was extremely early according to the pint sized alchemist, and the three stood outside the inn, planning to spend the day investigating the rumor the Elric brothers had heard about.

" You don't have to come Al, I mean if your tired you can stay." Edward said, glancing over his shoulder to look at the armor bound boy.

" No, it's okay Nii-san." Al replied, " If I didn't come all I'd do is worry about you. And besides, you might get yourself killed if I didn't come."

Edward gave Al a mock glare but ended up grinning at his brother. It was true; Alphonse did tend to worry about Edward. He had good reason to; with all the dangerous situations the boys seemed to get themselves into on a daily basis.

" So let me get this straight, we're going to go see and old hermit that lives in a shack about the _Philosopher's Stone_?" Roy asked, skeptical about the situation, as he walked next to Edward.

" That's right. You never know where the Stone might pop up. Hell, it might be in a sewer somewhere for all we know." Edward said, as he had learned to never judge a rumors authenticity by its cover.

The old hermit they were going to see went by the name of Saijin, and was and ex-military man and scientist. He seemed to have disappeared into his shack as of late, and was never seen around the town at all, which (so said the other townspeople) was strange for the kind old man.

" It's probably going to be nothing, but it's worth checking out. Who knows? We might find out something useful." Alphonse said to the Colonel, being the eternal optimist he was.

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A few hours later, the two boys and the Colonel arrived at the shack where the old man lived. It could barley even be called a shack, due to its poor condition. It had once been a little white house, which you could tell from the lightening of the wood that it was construced from. But now the paint had long chipped off, and the roof had caved in and patched up rather poorly with some old lumber. The house looked as if it could literally collapse at any moment.

Roy was the first to react, as he stepped up to the old front door and knocked on it twice, before saying, " Excuse me, Mr. Saijin? We're with the Amestris military and would like to talk with you."

The door opened after a few moments to reveal the old man they had come to see. He was short and frail looking, hunched over a bit due to his age. He was balding, but the hair he did have was long and unkempt looking, as if it hadn't been cut for some time.

" Military? Why would you want to see me?" he asked, his tone suspicious.

" We're interested in your scientific research, sir." Edward said, stepping up to stand beside Mustang.

" Yes, we've read all about you." Alphonse put in for emphasis.

Saijin's expression brightened considerably at the mention of his research, and his smiled at the group.

" Oh, excuse me for being so rude. Come in, come in." He said, stepping aside to let them in.

Edwards's first impression of the inside of the shack was that it was bare. It was one roomed, with a wood-burning stove in the far left corner, with a small table near it. There was a bed along the other wall, under a window with a pane of glass broken out of it. Near the stove was a medium sized cubort, probably containing non-perishable foods and silverware.

" Forgive me if I was a bit rude, the military never bothers me much these days." Saijin said as he went around the room in a vain attempt to tidy up the place as Alphonse waved away his apologies.

Suddenly, as Edward looked around the run down shack he spotted something. It appeared to a large object covered in a white sheet, haphazardly shoved into a corner. But the strange thing about the object was the scaled paw, like that of a large dog or the like, sticking out from underneath it. His eyes widened in realization of what it was; a dead chimera.

" Oh my boy, forgive me. It seems I forgot to take the trash out." Saijin said, stepping between Edward and the chimera, an apologetic smile on his face.

" No, that's fine." Edward said hesitantly, walking back over to stand at Roy's side. " I think that's all we'll be needing you for, right Colonel?"

Roy, catching the message, nodded in agreement and bid his farewells to the old man. Once the door was securely shut and they were out of sight of the house Edward caught up with Roy.

" There's something going on their Colonel." Ed said in a serious tone.

" What do you mean Nii-san? I didn't notice anything strange." Alphonse replied as he walked behind Ed and Roy.

" Yeah, it was kind of hard to notice it, but in one of the corners there was something covered with a sheet, with a _paw_ sticking out." Edward said as his brain worked to put together the puzzle that had begun to form.

" Maybe his dog just died and he hasn't had a chance to burry it." Al said, giving the old man the benefit of the doubt.

" It was a scaled paw Al, that was no normal dog. It was a chimera, probably from the same family that attacked us in the forest."

" Well what do we do about it?" Al questioned.

" We got there tonight, and do a little investigating, Elric style." Edward said with a smirk of excitement.

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That night, around 1 AM, the three boys repapered in front of the shack. There was no wind to carry their scent to any living chimeras that could be lurking around and the crickets chirped loudly, which would mask any small noises that they made.

The three crept up to the window of the house and peered inside the dark interior. Saijin wasn't in his bed, or anywhere to be seen in the shack and they could see light leaking in from the slightly open door they hadn't noticed before.

" Where could he be?" Alphonse questioned quietly, to which Edward shrugged and went over to the open door, peering inside.

" Guess the old mans taking a midnight stroll." Edward deducted and took the opportunity to look around inside.

Now normally Alphonse would have objected, and even scolded his brother for intruding into someone's home like he had just done, but given the circumstances he was willing to break into the old shack, which really didn't require much breaking into.

The three alchemists walked in, and began surveying the house. They noticed the dead chimera had disappeared from the corner of the room but otherwise everything was as it had been that day. But as Edward looked around the small room he noticed that a few of the floorboards, one after the other, were slightly raised. Curiosity taking over, Edward gave the boards a slight tug. They came completely up and swung to touch the floor behind then with an audible _bang!_, which startled Roy and Alphonse out of their own inspections of the house.

" What did you find Nii-san?" Alphonse asked as he and Roy walked across the room and over to Edward. He peered down at what Edward had discovered, a secret passageway of sorts leading deep underground, like a basement.

" I have no idea Al, but I don't have a good feeling about what's down there." Edward confessed, but knew at the same time he had to go down.

So, hesitantly at first, he led the trek down the worn stone steps into the cool, dim, candle-lit hallway at the bottom. At the end was a wooden door, with a large iron doorknob and a lock above it. Edward gave the knob a turn and, finding the door to be unlocked, opened the door.

Inside the room was sparely lit, the only light source being from a few lamps hanging from the ceiling. Cages, with one large or two small snarling, angry chimeras of species that ran the proverbial gamut, lined both sidewalls, stacked onto one another in rows of six cages long and two high. They peered out at the boys through the bars, there eyes glowing an eerie yellow in the dim room. The back wall was covered in heavily written upon notebook pages, all containing formulas or transmutation circles of some kind. The only furniture to occupy the room was a metal table and a chair in front of it, which had been pushed against the back wall.

" What in the world could he be researching?" Roy questioned, crossing the room to take a look at notes pinned to the opposite wall.

With grave eyes, due to an unwanted memory of a small girl and her dog, Edward surveyed the room. Everything, from the chimeras in the cages to the notes and circles on the walls, reminded him of Shou Tucker, and of his sick experiments. He took a step into the room, and was startled when a whispery voice suddenly came to his ears from a dark corner of the room.

" The one touched by the Truth, the truth of all truths. My chimeras have sensed that in you, and beckoned you here." Mr. Saijin said, stepping out from the shadows of the corner, his voice a raspy whisper.

Suddenly Edward was upon him, a fistful of the front of his shirt clutched in one hand and his other as a fist raised in the air. Alphonse stepped forward; ready to pull his older brother off the old man.

" Tell me what it meant!" Edward demanded, his eyes wide with recognition that the man was quoting the words of the mysterious voice inside his head.

" There not what you think! You mustn't trust them!" Saijin said, suddenly panic stricken, as if he had to say it right then or death you seize him.

Alphonse stopped, the conversation going on was a rather interesting one, and he, as well as Roy, would have liked to hear the end of it.

" Trust who?" Edward question, confusion coming into his eyes.

But his question never got to be answered as suddenly a loud clang was hear and then a low feral growl or sorts coming from the end of the room. Edward looked up, Saijin taking this chance to remove himself from the young boys iron clad grip, to come face to face with a particularly large and fearsome chimera.

It appeared to be made of three or four different animals. Its head was definitely of the bird persuasion, with a sharp yellow beak and sharp eyes. Its torso seemed to be that of a jaguar or leopard though its feet had long talons instead of the usual claws. Its tail was long and scaled, similarly to the one of a large reptile.

Its sharp eyes focused in on Edward as it stepped into the dim light. It twittered and cocked its head to one side, as if confused by the sight of him. The, suddenly, it gave a loud screech and lunged at him, talons ready to rip into his flesh and beak poised to do the same if the claws should not accomplish the task. But the only thing beak of claws got to taste was metal, then its own blood as Edward brought his automail arm up to block the assault, gaining slashed on his arm from the chimeras other paw, and, grabbing a scalpel from the metal table he was currently next to, jammed the sharp object straight into the creatures eye.

It stumbled back, screeching and shaking its head violently in pain, the scalpel flying to land on the floor some yards away. It soon regained its scenes, but by that time Edward was on his feet, calling on the help of Alphonse to knock the creature out, delivering simultaneous blows to its head and torso. The creature fell to the floor, unconscious and heavily wounded. Roy was relieved it hadn't defeated the boys and turned on him, Alphonse was relieved his brother was safe, but Edward was feeling an altogether different emotion; guilt. He knew they would have to kill it, that is if it was to be spared from being mercilessly researched on by the Amestris military, as they were sure to arrive when word reached Central.

But suddenly, either out of sheer luck of miraculous timing, another man, this once considerably younger, replaced the since escaped Sanjin.

" Excuse me, but I'll take it if you like. Don't worry; I'm not going to do any sort of research on it. You see, I've appointed myself a sort of caretaker of Mr. Saijin's chimeras. My uncle has always been a bit careless with them, and they usually end up getting killed when they escape and attack someone. My name is Jirro by the way." He said, his expression kind as he walked into the room.

" What will you do with it?" Roy questioned.

" I'll take it out of Amestris, to the unpopulated parts outside the country and set it free there. I suppose I'll need to do a little medical work first. All that will remain of the injury is a scar on its eye." He said, kneeling to examine its wound " Its not to bad, the pupil and retina weren't cut, it was mostly below the eye that was."

He glanced at Edward and, catching his guilty look said, " It's alright, you did what you had to to not get any more injured, and this chimera will be just fine."

" Thanks, you sure came at the right time." Edward said, his thanks genuine. He didn't hate any chimera, not since the incident with Nina.

" Well I live in town, so I tend to catch the rumors when they float around." He explained.

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The sun was setting, painting the sky all shades of oranges and pinks. The town was quieting down, though the bar was as noisy as ever.

" Thanks for the adventure boys, but I don't think I'll be doing that every day. I'm just fine with having a gun pointed to my head as I sigh paperwork." Roy confessed, grinning sheepishly at the mention of the lengths Riza Hawkeye had to go to to make him do his paperwork.

" Yeah, I don't think your old heart could take it." Ed joked, grinning at Roy's slightly annoyed expression.

" I hope you have a safe trip back to Eastern HQ Colonel!" Alphonse said kindly.

Roy nodded, saying; " And I hope you boys find that Stone of yours. Oh and be sure to send me reports, I see a real mystery in the making"

" Yeah so do I, though I get the feeling its not going to end well." Edward confessing, getting a bad omen of a feeling on the things to come.

Oh, he didn't know how right he was.

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" Ms. Raina, I believe it would be in your best interest if you cooperate with us." He said, his voice as calm as it had been an hour before, when she had first refused to answer any of there questions.

" I will not." She claimed defiantly.

The man sighed; this routine was getting rather tiresome. So, he switched to a different tactic.

" You've been using your powers haven't you? Trying to stop us from getting what we want?"

Her eyes widened, how could they have known?

" Well, let me assure you, you will not stop us from reaching our goal. He will end up, one way or another, playing right into our hands." He said, leaving the room his assistant closing the door behind him.

But his words had the opposite effect on her. Instead of breaking her determination, it only fueled it.

' I will stop him from coming here! I have to, or we all could be in danger!' she thought, her hands tightening in her lap.

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Well there is it! This really is turning out to be one big mystery isn't it? Well quite a few questions have arisen like who's the 'he' that was mentioned at the end of this chapter? Who's the 'they' that Edward shouldn't trust? And how does all of this connect to one little Stone? If you have any guesses feel free to put then in your review, ideas are welcome also! Scar is bound to appear in the next chapter, so see you next time on Of Scars, Friendship and Alchemy!


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